WorldSBK Indonesia: Championship thoughts ‘ridiculous now’ - Rea

Former WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea has all but dismissed any hopes of grabbing back the big trophy in 2022, saying rival Alvaro Bautista has ‘done an incredible job’.

Rea hasn’t won a race since the second clash at Estoril in May but still has a mathmetical chance of the title. However, the 98-point gap to Ducati’s Bautista is a near-impossible task.

“We’ll try to bring last year’s positive vibes here this year. We’ve improved since last year, the problem is everyone else has improved too,” said Rea, speakig at the track.

“We need to see where we stack up tomorrow; with the track being resurfaced, Friday will be about understanding conditions, getting laps and cleaning the track, not making big setup calls.

“I’m empty-headed about any goal this weekend; thinking about the Championship is a bit ridiculous now. Alvaro has done an incredible job. I’ll focus on myself and I’m going out to do the best I can this weekend.”

Kawasaki has a new/old rider in its fold next year in the shape of Tom Sykes but Rea was fairly dismissive of how much help his former team non-mate will be.

“It’s nice for Tom Sykes to come back to the Championship as he’s an incredible competitor, but in terms of development, he’s such a unique rider that there’s not much resemblance to how I ride or develop the bike. I’ll continue working with my team and especially Alex and our crews, to develop the ZX-10RR through the winter.”